Spicy Prawns Curry for kitchen blues

bhavna on November 15, 2015

2) People who like to cook but don’t enjoy eating that much (yes I know such people).

3) People who hate cooking and eating both. Yes not everyone is a foodie.

4) And lastly people who eat and cook with equal gusto.

Clearly I am the fourth kind. I don’t just live to eat, but I also live to cook. I am not the be the best cook that you know, but I am a very passionate one. When I am not sniffing the pages of books in my library, it is my kitchen that I find my mojo, my relief and my nirvana. I love standing in my kitchen and touching the utensils, inhaling the smells of the spices getting cooked and indulging in the whole drama of chopping, cutting and dicing.

I have always maintained how cooking is the most loving thing we can do for people we care about. So the kitchen has to have a prominent place in the scheme of things as far as cooking is concerned. How we cook, what we cook and how our state of mind is when we are cooking defines the outcome of the dish.

And this “Spicy Prawns Curry” is a labor of an active and happy state of mind. The amount of spice in this curry can be altered as per your spice level and it will not change the flavor or taste of the dish. The masala that I make for this curry can also be used to cook Chicken if you don’t like Prawns.

I love making this masala in advance and freezing it for long days when cooking can become a chore this masala can rescue the night. The recipe is so basic and simple that even people in category 1 and 2 make it. And I can safely say persons in group three will also like this if they give it a try.

Recipe (Cooking time 40 minutes, serves 4 – 5)

500 gms Prawns (cleaned and deveined)

One large Onion roughly chopped

Two large tomatoes roughly chopped

Two green chilies

4 – 5 dry red chilies

2 Garlic cloves

One tsp Mustard seeds

6 – 7 Curry leaves

One tsp Turmeric powder

One tsp red chilli powder

One tsp Coriander powder

8 – 10 Black peppercorns

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Vegetable oil

Heat oil (leave a tsp aside) in the pan and add the Garlic cloves, Green and Red chillies and peppercorns.

Add the roughly chopped Onion and cook till translucent.

Insert the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes have become mushy.

Turn off the heat and let this mixture cool and then grind to a fine paste.

Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and the Mustard seeds and Curry leaves. Once they start to splutter add the Onion and Tomato mixture and cook for a few minutes on a low flame till the oil begins to leave the pan.

Now add the Salt, red chilli powder, Turmeric powder and coriander powder. Mix well and cook on a low flame for around 5 minutes before adding the fresh prawns and cooking for another 5 minutes, till the prawns are coated thoroughly with the masala.